Delivering Regeneration: How collaborative contracts are transforming place-making
Discover how collaborative contracting is helping councils deliver regeneration more effectively with this free special report from LocalGov and NEC Contracts.
Axing patient watchdog risks NHS ‘marking own homework’, warns LGA
6/1/2026 Government plans to abolish the network of Healthwatch patient watchdog organisations that work with councils to monitor NHS and adult social care services have been criticised by the Local Government Association (LGA). |
Vape ban loophole fuelling bin lorry fires, councils warn
6/1/2026 Councils are calling on the Government to close a loophole in disposable vape regulations that is causing a surge in bin lorry and waste centre fires across England. |
Kent CC to set up water resilience partnership after shortages
5/28/2026 Kent County Council is establishing a new strategic partnership to improve oversight and accountability of the county's water supply, following shortages. |
Exercise for older people essential for prevention agenda, MPs say
5/22/2026 Physical activity should be treated as seriously as medication in the NHS's care of older people, a cross-party committee of MPs has concluded. |
Cumberland Council calls for new approach to men's health
5/21/2026 Cumberland Council has highlighted inequalities in men's health and called for conversations about social expectations around masculinity and wellbeing. |
Five thousand care homes uninspected for five years, analysis reveals
5/18/2026 Over 40% of registered care homes have not received a full CQC inspection since February 2021, with some local authority areas seeing rates above 80%. |
CQC hands out third inadequate rating
5/18/2026 Salford City Council is the third council to be rated inadequate for its adult social care services by the Care Quality Commission since assessments began. |
Rural areas rival cities for toxic air, report warns
5/13/2026 More rural parts of England have air pollution levels comparable to major cities, according to new analysis from the Healthy Air Coalition. |
Safety chiefs declare iconic Gloucester cheese rolling event ‘unsafe’
5/12/2026 Authorities have declared a traditional annual cheese rolling event unsafe, warning that thousands of visitors could be without formal safety protection. |
Eight-year-old launches legal challenge against SEND consultation
5/12/2026 An eight-year-old severely autistic girl is seeking a judicial review of the Government's consultation on its proposed special educational needs reforms. |
Designing for cohesion
5/7/2026 Tom Fairey, Development Director at Alliance Leisure, discusses how community spaces can strengthen local connections. |
Call for social care to be treated as 'national infrastructure'
5/7/2026 A new report is calling for a shift in how adult social care is funded and understood – arguing it should be recognised as essential national infrastructure. |
Libraries as a strategic delivery partner for local government
5/1/2026 Rebecca Gediking looks at how GLL is helping councils deliver more with existing services. |
Oxfordshire County Council launches 10-year learning disabilities plan
4/29/2026 A 10-year plan to support adults with learning disabilities has been launched by Oxfordshire County Council and its partners. |
Family of asbestos victim receives over £1m compensation
4/27/2026 The family of a Yorkshire joiner who died from an asbestos-related disease have been awarded more than £1m in compensation. |
Government urges councils to work with ICBs on neighbourhood health centres
4/27/2026 Housing secretary Steve Reed has urged councils to work with ICBs on creating neighbourhood health centres. |
Council raises concerns over plans to move children's A&E
4/22/2026 West Lancashire BC has vowed to challenge a decision to move the children’s Accident and Emergency department at Ormskirk Hospital to Southport Hospital. |
Public toilet numbers reach crisis point
4/20/2026 New research has revealed there is just one public toilet for every 15,481 people in England, as experts warn of ‘public toilet deserts’. |
Improvement notice lifted on Oxfordshire's SEND services
4/20/2026 An improvement notice for SEND services in Oxfordshire issued following an inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission in 2023 has been lifted. |
Urgent call to close dementia training gap
4/16/2026 Over a third of care workers lack basic knowledge of dementia, research has found. |
Thousands of unpaid carers to have allowance debts cancelled
4/13/2026 The Government has announced that tens of thousands of unpaid carers will have debts reduced, cancelled, or refunded following a decade of confusing guidance. |
Pizza Out, Salad In: Schools face sweeping junk food ban
4/13/2026 The Government has announced plans to overhaul school food standards for the first time in over a decade. |
New food plan strives to boost heathy living in West Northants
4/10/2026 West Northants Council has announced a new food plan to encourage healthy eating through increasing access to affordable food. |
Teachers win £15m in compensation claims
4/2/2026 Teachers received over £15m in compensation for successful claims, including one which involved a six-figure payout for a teacher who was hit by a toaster. |
Largest ICB in England established in London
4/1/2026 The largest ICB in England responsible for a £12bn NHS annual investment has been established in London. |
Welsh council backs call to restrict junk food advertisement
3/30/2026 Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council has backed a motion to limit the advertisement of ultra-processed foods (UPF) across the region. |
Health devolution deals to give great powers to mayors
3/26/2026 Two new health devolution deals are to give greater powers to mayors in Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire. |
Scottish councils call for leisure and sport investment as prevention tool
3/26/2026 Scotland's councils are calling for long-term investment in public leisure and sport. |
Children stuck in hospital as lack of community care sparks ‘hidden crisis’
3/19/2026 Children are spending thousands of unnecessary days in hospital due to gaps in community and social care, the Children’s Commissioner for England has warned. |
ICB savings risk shifting care costs to councils, think-tank warns
3/19/2026 An ICB’s £277m savings programme for 2025/26 risks shifting care costs to local councils and residents, the Nuffield Trust has warned. |
Visiting rights in hospitals and care homes to be strengthened
3/18/2026 Visiting rights in hospitals, care homes and hospices are to be strengthened under Government legislation. |
BREAKING NEWS: Streeting agrees to 'simple asks' from Baroness Casey
3/5/2026 Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting has agreed to ‘simple asks’ on dementia, social care and motor neurone disease (MND) from Baroness Louise Casey. |
Councils’ wood burning campaign prompts stove industry backlash
3/5/2026 Councils have been warned of possible legal action from the stove industry due to their campaigns cautioning about the dangers of wood burning. |
Contract blunder left 400 children without therapy, ombudsman finds
3/4/2026 Bucks Council left up to 400 children without therapy they were legally entitled to after failing to properly manage a change in its contracted services. |
Council could invest over £450k to boost smokefree service
3/3/2026 North Yorkshire Council is considering spending nearly £500,000 on e-cigarette procurement to help residents quit smoking. |
'Widespread lack of understanding' to blame for key worker oversight
3/3/2026 Failure to recognise council employees as key workers during the pandemic must be reviewed as part of planning for future emergencies, Covid inquiry told. |
'Social care reform caught in political catch-22,' report finds
3/2/2026 Social care reform is caught in a political catch-22 with Government frightened to tackle the issue, according to a new report. |
Digital Health Tools: Supporting healthier communities at scale
2/25/2026 GLL’s Joseph Rham explores how the use of digital platforms is leading to measurable improvements in community health. |
Reform UK council denies private hospital plans
2/19/2026 Derbyshire County Council has denied it planned to set up a private hospital at its Matlock headquarters. |
Health and social care integration plans receive £7.1m boost
2/18/2026 Plans for health and social care integration in Powys, mid-Wales have received a £7.1m funding boost. |
Council and ICB award preventative services contract
2/6/2026 A Preventative Services Contract for Adults has been awarded to three organisations by Shropshire Council and Shropshire ICB. |
Call for ‘equitable funding’ to support integrated local services
2/3/2026 Integrated services are vital to ensuring 75% of five-year-olds have a good level of development (GLD) by 2028, research reveals. |
Leisure services facing ‘triple squeeze’
2/3/2026 UK leisure services are facing a ‘triple squeeze’ of rising demand, ageing facilities and growing public health expectations, according to an APSE report. |
Reform council chair resigns following illegal HMO operations
2/2/2026 A council chairman has resigned after being found to have unlawfully operated unlicensed houses in multiple occupation (HMO). |
HMO consultation to be launched in Salford following ‘concerning’ inspection results
1/29/2026 Salford City Council has announced plans to begin a consultation on implementing a citywide licensing scheme for Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMO). |
Council chiefs concerned by loss of measles elimination status
1/28/2026 Local authority leaders have voiced their concerns after the World Health Organisation confirmed that the UK has lost its measles elimination status. |
Call for national standards to end social care lottery
1/27/2026 National standards of care could be the key to ending the stark variation in social care across England, according to a new report. |
Scottish social care undermined by ‘systemic underinvestment’
1/27/2026 Social care in Scotland is undermined by the ‘systemic underinvestment’ in prevention and early intervention delivered by social care services, report finds. |
Council tax relief launched for families facing terminal illness
1/26/2026 Newark & Sherwood DC has unveiled a new council tax relief scheme to ease pressures on households where a family member is living with a terminal illness. |
Scotland leads on damp and mould regulations
1/23/2026 Regulations to protect tenants from damp and mould have been announced in Scotland. |
MPs call for overhaul of early years' healthcare support
1/22/2026 MPs have called for an overall of early years’ healthcare support, including more health visitors and Family Hubs, and a new vaccines strategy. |
Redcar and Cleveland BC pledges to become an Endometriosis Friendly Employer
1/20/2026 Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has joined the Endometriosis Friendly Employer scheme. |
Poorer residents in Northern cities exposed to more pollution
1/20/2026 Poorer and diverse communities in northern cities are exposed to ‘significantly higher levels’ of air pollution than their wealthier neighbours, study finds. |
Combined authority to crackdown on junk food ads
1/19/2026 Liverpool City Region is set to clampdown on junk food and high sugar drink advertising across publicly owned assets. |
New Town properties at risk of ‘severe’ aviation disruption, analysis says
1/19/2026 Eleven of the Government’s proposed New Town locations will experience ‘significant aircraft noise exposure’, research suggests. |
Teenagers with care experience at higher risk of mental health difficulties
1/15/2026 Research reveals that adolescents who have spent time in care face greater risks of serious mental health challenges than their peers without care experience. |
Shared Lives charity supports almost 10,000 people in UK
1/14/2026 Home care charity, Shared Lives, supports 10,000 people through personalised, relationship-based care, new data has revealed. |
Councils join forces to get people into sustainable employment
1/13/2026 Telford & Wrekin Council has joined forces with Shropshire Council and Herefordshire Council to launch the Get Marches Working Plan. |
How to achieve compliance with Awaab’s Law
1/8/2026 Deja Sutherland, head of Enablement, Cloudhouse, looks at how to achieve compliance with Awaab’s Law without rebuilding IT applications. |
Six digital companies to share £1.5m WorkWell funding
1/6/2026 Six digital companies are to share £1.5m in WorkWell funding under an NHS and local government led programme. |
Council says 'more to be done' after SEND improvements
1/5/2026 Hertfordshire County Council has said there is still ‘more to be done’ after an inspection report noted improvements in SEND services. |
Families urged to be vigilant against fake Christmas toys
12/24/2025 A warning has been issued to remind families of the danger of counterfeit toys amid a rising number of fake Labubu dolls being seized at the border. |
Motor neurone disease patients dying before home adaptation grants approved
12/24/2025 Many people living with motor neurone disease (MND) are dying before essential grants to adapt their homes are approved, according to new research. |
Young care leavers to get free prescriptions
12/23/2025 Local authority leaders have welcomed an announcement that care leavers will receive free prescriptions, dental and eyecare services up to the age of 25. |
Public Health Grant 'must keep pace with inflation', LGA chair says
12/18/2025 Cllr Dr Wendy Taylor, chair of the LGA’s Health and Wellbeing Committee, has welcomed a multi-year funding settlement for the Public Health Grant but warned it must keep pace with inflation and rising demand to deliver on prevention and reduce pressure on health and social care. |
City’s clean air zone generates £180m in less than two years, say academics
12/17/2025 Bradford Council’s clean air zone initiative has generated an estimated £180.8m in benefits to the city since it was launched just under two years ago. |
Councils set for winter surge in demand for food bank support
12/3/2025 Councils are set for a surge in demand from residents for information about food bank support this winter, latest figures from the charity Trussell indicate. |
Council takes action against ‘unacceptable’ street staining
12/1/2025 Brent Council has announced its ‘zero-tolerance’ approach to paan spitting on streets, which is costing the local authority more than £30,000 annually to clean up. |
National HIV Action Plan will remove barriers to care, Government says
12/1/2025 Councils are to help the Government introduce its new HIV Action Plan, aimed to improve access to HIV testing and treatment, while combatting stigma around seeking support. |
Sport England announces 27 new ‘Place Partnerships’
11/28/2025 Sport England has unveiled 27 additional ‘Place Partnerships,’ expanding its drive to tackle inactivity across England. |
West Midlands mayor unveils nature recovery strategy
11/27/2025 A new plan to protect and enhance green spaces, waterways and wildlife across the West Midlands has been published by Mayor Richard Parker. |
Budget: Over 100 neighbourhood health centres to launch by 2030
11/26/2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced that 120 of 250 new neighbourhood health centres will be operational by 2030. |
Complex care needs drive up social care costs for young people
11/25/2025 The growing complexity of care and support needs have increased social care costs by almost a third in 2025, according to a new survey. |
Vent-Axia Welcomes Healthy Homes Standard
11/17/2025 Leading British ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia has welcomed the Government’s publication of its Healthy Homes Standard. |
Care cash extraction tops £250m, report warns
11/12/2025 Private providers extracted over £250m from public spending on care in just three UK regions between 2021 and 2024, according to a new analysis. |
Pride in Place programme to invest up to £5bn in local areas
11/11/2025 Up to £5bn will be given to 250 areas across the UK in the Government’s Pride in Place programme. |
Council and ICB 'taking decisive action' to tackle SEND failings
11/10/2025 Slough Local Area Partnership, which comprises Slough BC and NHS Frimley ICB, have said it is taking decisive action to improve quality of SEND services. |
Vent-Axia Helps Tackle Condensation and Mould this World Ventilation Day
11/6/2025 Leading ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia is once again supporting World Ventilation Day. |
Islington Council wins baby vaccination court battle
11/6/2025 Islington Council has won a High Court battle to vaccinate a baby against her mother’s wishes. |
Employer-led vanguards to tackle workplace ill-health
11/6/2025 Employer-led vanguards including mayoral combined authorities will drive forward Government plans to get people with ill-health and disabilities back to work. |
Airtech Calls For Urgent Government Action to Support Radon Awareness Week
11/5/2025 Airtech, the condensation, mould and radon specialists, is once again supporting UK Radon Awareness Week by helping raise awareness of the radioactive gas. |
Government 'won't look' away as children become unhealthier
11/5/2025 Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting says that the Government ‘won’t look away as kids become unhealthier’, his comments come as new figures reveal the scale of the childhood obesity problem. |
'We need urgent clarity on redundancies funding,' warn ICB leaders
11/4/2025 ICB leaders have warned the Government that clarity on £1bn funding for redundancies is urgently required to move NHS reforms forward. |
Autumn Budget Insights: Time to deliver for adult social care
10/30/2025 With demand rising, the Autumn Budget offers a critical chance to secure sustainable investment for adult social care, writes ADASS President Jess McGregor. |
Government lacks understanding of the value of hospices, NAO finds
10/29/2025 The DHSC and NHSE do not know how funding is used by hospices for palliative and end-of-life care due to a lack of central oversight, according to the NAO. |
LGA welcomes Awaab’s Law but flags resource gap
10/27/2025 Council chiefs have welcomed the introduction of Awaab’s Law, but called for more funding to support implementation. |
Supporting older people's health and fitness
10/24/2025 Phil Donnay looks at the importance for older people of keeping active. |
Vent-Axia’s New Smart Fan Helps Landlords Stay Ahead of Awaab’s Law
10/24/2025 As Awaab’s Law comes into effect for social landlords in England, Vent-Axia is urging landlords to take proactive steps to improve poor indoor air quality. |
Deprived areas hit hardest by pharmacy closures
10/24/2025 England’s most deprived areas are bearing the brunt of pharmacy closures, new research from the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has revealed. |
Lack of investment 'threatens' shift to community care, says CQC
10/24/2025 A lack of investment in community services threatens the 10-Year Health Plan’s goal of shifting care closer to home, according to the CQC. |
Weak enforcement fuels growth in wood burning grievances
10/22/2025 Councils face rising pressure as poor enforcement of wood burning laws leaves communities exposed to harmful air pollution. |
Government pledges £80m to support children’s hospices
10/15/2025 Children’s and young people’s hospices in England will receive £80m over the next three years. |
Government to crackdown on traders selling vapes to children
10/9/2025 New rules for retailers selling tobacco, vapes and nicotine products are being proposed by the Government. |
Ombudsman slams council over safeguarding backlog
10/2/2025 The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has exposed a major safeguarding failure in Haringey, as hundreds of police welfare reports go unread. |
Labour conference: McGuinness calls for more health devolution
10/2/2025 More should be done to devolve health, mayor of the North East Kim McGuinness has told a Labour Party conference fringe session. |
Council reveals ‘urgent need’ for drug and alcohol commissioner
10/2/2025 West Northamptonshire Council is looking to appoint a temporary Drug and Alcohol Commissioner. |
Care sector to benefit from £500m fair pay initiative
9/30/2025 The UK Government has announced a £500m investment to establish the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for adult care workers in England. |
Opioid deaths 55% higher than official figures, study reveals
9/17/2025 New research from King’s College reveals that opioid-related deaths in England and Wales over the past decade are about 55% higher than previously recorded. |
AI home care tool could ease health service strain
9/16/2025 An AI-enabled medical app could reduce the burden on overstretched local health services. |
Edible playgrounds sprout up in Sunderland schools
9/12/2025 Three primary schools in Sunderland are embracing outdoor learning with the installation of new Edible Playgrounds. |
